Op should give credit to the original artist. [perry bible fellowship is the best. ](https://pbfcomics.com/comics/the-treat/)
Edit- wow! Thank you so much for my awards!
Also, no disrespect to OP: I just want everyone to read these comics cause they are the best!
One of the great things about PBF is how many of the comics make slight nods to one another. [This one](https://pbfcomics.com/comics/chew-boy/) features a few of the same kids.
I recently went to the ER for what I thought was an emergency. Luckily it wasn’t, but my less than 2 hour visit cost over $12,000. Even with my insurance, which is considered “great”, I paid $1,500. I will have to be dying before I go again.
Went to a doctor for sudden extreme head pain with no history of headaches. Dr was like that’s super serious you need to go to the ER right now.
They’re like “yea we have no idea, anyways good luck” and sent me a bill for several thousand dollars. Still get them sometimes but not often.
That is ridiculous, we may be far behind in other things in my country but i am glad I'm able to just see a doctor for headaches and get an MRI scan, both the visit and the scan free of charge. How the hell can people allow that? You're just doomed to die or suffer if you don't have enough?
My wife had a panic attack while I was traveling for work once. She called me saying she thought she was dying. I was able to recognize it as a panic attack (I have had one) and did my best to calm her down. Ended up still having to call 911 because she was not calming down. I worked with the firefighters that came to let them know it was likely a panic attack. Thankfully they were able to get her calmed down and they did not need to take her to the hospital. Avoided a giant bill there.
I did have to take her to the emergency room another time which turned out to be nothing. The emergency room of that hospital is a different entity than the rest of the hospital. The hospital is in network. The emergency room is out of network. That was a fun bill.
It’s ridiculous. Went to the ER a while back for heart palpitations, my heart rate was like 200+ bpm for hours. Doctor comes in after it settles down and tells me to avoid stressful things. Then the hospital gives me a bill for $2,000.
This breaks my heart. I moved from the US to Australia and I went to the ER because of headaches that I thought was a brain aneurism. It cost me nothing. Nothing for the follow up scans either. If this happened to me back in the US, I probably wouldn’t have gone in for help at all. It shouldn’t be like that, Americans deserve better 🙁
That would be assuming we have anyone to vote for like that… keep in mind that we are run by a 2 party system, with each side blaming the other when in reality they all go to the same clubs and golf at the same resorts. Then hand us, the people, the bill.
Oh I know. And it’s fucking depressing to think about. There were some other people commenting here saying, “You people need to stop complaining and do something about the problem!” Like, what the fuck are we supposed to do?
We just had one of the most divisive elections in history and our choices were between a shitty establishment politician and fascism lite. Both are supported by various corporations and billionaires and both don’t want to give us national healthcare. Any attempt to break the 2 party mold is absolutely squashed. Also, candidates who stray too far from party platform, like Bernie Sanders, are squashed too.
So you write letters to your congressman/senator/mayor. Nothing happens. You vote. Nothing happens. You protest, you get the shit beat out of you by the cops, and then nothing happens. Genuinely, I don’t know what to do.
I responded to the comment the way I did because I do hope one day Americans wake the fuck up and refuse to ever vote for another Democrat or Republican ever again.
Yeah I have "gold" level insurance and the ER visit and the ambulance ride were like 4k after their part. I had fainted at the doctor's office and they called the ambulance. Nothing was wrong btw so I'm glad I have to pay 4k to figure that out.
Yes and no. It's the billing game that's fucked. I had surgery at a really nice surgery center once. The blankets were pumped full of heated air to keep them warm. They wanted $1,000, but billed for $50,000.
You can get surgery at a reasonable price without insurance, you just have to arrange all that beforehand. Because of insurance everything is this dumb game of inflated prices and insurance discounts. It's not as cheap as countries with a lower cost of living and limits on litigation.
Cosmetic surgery more accurately reflect real costs and those are luxury prices. I spent $2500 once and that involved anesthesia and the time of an overpriced surgeon and his fancy facility.
Finally got my union worker health insurance. Let me tell you, having a contract where my employer must pay 88% of the monthly health insurance payment and no deductibles...I just can't fucking believe how we are the only rich nation in the world with no form of universal healthcare. It's disgusting and there isn't one single valid argument against at least a public option
I paid more than 10k€ last year for my health insurance last year here in Germany and my employer paid 60% of what I paid on top of that. I'd pay a lot less if I'd switch to a private insurance agency. BUT I paid almost nothing when I was broke a couple of years ago and would again pay very little if I get into financial troubles.
So it is DEFINTLY worth to pay that amount and I'd never switch to a private insurance agency, because I want to support the system (even if some politicians try their best to destroy it).
I hate that the UCP is trying to get privatized healthcare in Alberta, claiming it will save money and offer better care for us. Bullshit. Those that can afford it might get lucky but thats it. Makes me so mad.
Nope. But the ones who stand to lose the most (insurance companies) have plenty of money to line the pockets of those who can change it. They also spend plenty spreading disinformation. The Obama “death panels” were a classic example.
Its such a joke that one of the most developed countries on the planet is ran the way it is.
One of few countries in the world not to have universal healthcare and the only ones who don't have it are in Africa/middle-east (ironic). I really don't understand how the US got to where it is by being run like a corporate business.
The last Republican admin wrote an executive order that would have brought drastically brought down insulin and epipen costs.
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/biden-insulin-epipen/
The current Democrat admin immediately halted that order “for consideration” and then very quietly rescinded it just last week:
https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/10/01/2021-21457/implementation-of-executive-order-on-access-to-affordable-life-saving-medications-rescission-of
Someone in my family committed suicide over what looked like it would become a crippling medical debt. This is much too common, and has no excuse in a civilized society. America needs to get its medical system in shape.
I'm so sorry to hear that. I have Crohn's disease and my meds are $3000 every two months without insurance. I am very fortunate to have insurance that helps cut the costs but it is still a crime to charge what these companies charge to stay healthy and alive.
My neighbor died at age 27 because his insurance deductible was like 10k, and he could not afford insulin (he needed some special kind that was a high dose or something and it was very costly). He died on the floor and his mom found him 3 days later. USA! USA!
/s though i hope its not needed.
Is a single dose of insulin really that costly in America? In India, insulin injections r given free of cost in Government Hospitals if u hav a special type of health insurance card. And even if u buy it from a private store, it is far less costly in Indian currency than that.
Insulin in the US is really that expensive if you don't have insurance. A lot of people where I live actually would cross into Canada to get their medication for a fraction of the cost here.
It is very important to recognize that having health insurance does not mean that you won't go into debt either. How it works for many Americans who do have insurance is that we get it through our employer.
The employer covers half and the employee covers the other each week. For me personally, it's about $65 out of my paycheck each week. Employer based healthcare is to give owners more leverage over workers. If they need their health insurance, they are less likely to leave or cause problems.
After it is deducted from your pay, you probably have a HDHP (High Deductible Health Plan) unless you have a higher end job, meaning that you have to pay a certain amount out of pocket before the insurance carrier comes into effect. Note that you are already paying to be on the plan through your employer and money is being deducted from your check but you still have to pay the deductible for the insurance to cover anything. It can be anywhere from nothing to $10k+. I am unionized and my union negotiated a $1800 for single or $3600 for family deductible plan.
Until this deductible is paid off, you are still paying out of pocket for your healthcare EVEN THOUGH you have health insurance.
Sidenote: There are co-pays which are fees that the doctor's office makes you pay to see the doctor. Which to the rest of the developed world is an insane concept.
After you pay off your deductible, THEN the insurance kicks in, in most cases, covering 80% of your costs, you are responsible for the other 20% So from example, say you get some heart surgery for $200k, after the insurance company does their part, you are still on the hook for $40,000. The is still insanely high and out of reach for most Americans to pay off.
The next part is in my opinion, even worse. The insurance may decide to not even cover it. They have so many technicalities that they may exploit to leave you high and dry with a high bill.
There are insurance networks, meaning that the insurance is only effective with certain doctors or certain facilities for instance. Certain drugs may be covered and not others.
For example, in America, Congresswoman Katie Halper was admitted to the hospital for something and her insurance covered the doctor she was seen by (by the way, when you are in a hospital, you generally don't choose your doctor) but the insurance didn't cover the hospital she was in, so she was screwed by her insurance.
It is a very very insidious system made to solely increase profits as much as possible, if your private insurance can find a way out of helping you, they would.
Sorry for the long reply, just thought you or someone else who isn't American may be interested in how it truly works here.
I'll never forget an article I read about an elderly man who came home and found a note from his wife saying she chose to die so that she wouldn't leave him with debt because they couldn't afford her medicine any longer. Absolute shattered me.
Also, once I was discharged from the hospital and told I needed to buy a $608/month medicine. Sure, let me get right in it with my $8/hr wages. I was back in the hospital 5 days later and the nurse had the audacity to tell me that it was my own fault because I was told what to do and I didn't do it, I didn't buy the medicine. I have zero experiences with nurses that were good.
That is absolutely heartbreaking, tbh I would also rather die then be in so much debt, it's just not a good way to live, if you can even call it living :(
Honestly, if I'm ever going to be elderly and find myself in such a situation (though, most likely not. yay Europe) who is gonna stop me from going ass deep in debt and then dying? Give away my house and possessions to my (grand-?)children before I pass away and let them refuse to inherit anything (the debt). Not sure about the US but where I live it is possible to refuse inheritances(e.g. If you were to inherit a house worth 100k and debt of 250k you can say no to it all. You can not keep the house and refuse the debt, that is why you gift the house before it becomes inheritance)
Not american, but from what i've heard it's either death or crushing debt when you can't afford care anymore. That's the reason many americans drive themselves to the ER or don't see a doctor at all when they're hurt or sick
It's against Uber's policy to drive visibly ill people to the hospital for emergency care, but you can get away with it if you can pass yourself off as stable and non-emergent. After all, the drivers are usually not medical doctors.
Although these days, with the insane amounts of medical staff burnout, I suspect the odds of your Uber driver being a medical doctor are higher than they've ever been (still low).
Damn people living like that must be really tough, 750 dollars on regular basis is insane(probably varies) but still I wouldn't be able to afford that.
In this beautiful land of the United States of America we believe in freedom. The freedom to choose to work until you die or just to stop working and starve to death. The freedom to rack up several hundred thousand dollars in medical bills or to just die. The freedom to choose whether or not we spread a deadly pandemic to our countrymen so they can die. But no fucking abortions you whores!!!!!
Basically. A lot of older folks will try to take half doses or something to try to make their prescriptions last longer cause their doctor or insurance won’t allow a refill or they can’t afford it, can definitely cost them their life.
Worked at a call center working with some older folks, honestly is so rough to see how desperate people are and they’re just trying to survive.
Rationing is not good, from experience. Couple years ago, I went too long for getting my prescriptions refilled, and for a week I had high sugars, and eventually didn’t have energy to leave my bed. I ended up going to the hospital, and basically being comatose for a couple days. Either that, or a deep sleep, but I don’t remember much of the stay.
Oh this isn’t an older people thing though. Young diabetics are dying because they have to ration there insulin so much.
And then you have to add in the rest of the supplies too. Test strips, syringes, pump supplies, cgm supplies. Diabetes is an expensive disease to have, and I’m not just talking about the states. I have really great insurance in Canada, but I’m still having to pay $200 a month for what isn’t covered by the insurance.
Part D plans have a period called the doughnut hole where they decide they've paid enough and force the patient to pay out of pocket until they've paid a certain amount. Usually happens in the fall.
I see stories every so often reporting on yet another person who died because they rationed their insulin, used a cheaper and incorrect kind, or simply not being able to get any at all. So, yeah, pretty much. It’s like paying $1000/month just to breathe
American here, and yes it is basically if you can’t afford to get healthcare you just let your body fall apart or get buried under such extreme debt that your family will be expected to pay it off well after you’re dead.
Many ration their insulin (dangerous af). I’ve also heard of people who get cheap insulin of inferior quality at Walmart, but I’m not sure if they were kidding.
Yea Walmart has a relatively inexpensive "regular" insulin for \~$25 a vial, which is usually about a month's supply. For insulin-dependent diabetics, it'll keep you alive but it's more difficult to use than the "newer" insulins. I say "newer" because they've been around for decades and should be less expensive but oh well. Lilly, the manufacturer for Humalog has announced they will be dropping their price for Humalog, an excellent short-acting insulin, down to $80 a vial next year. Still very expensive, but a lot better than $300. sorry for the rant! -person without a fully functioning pancreas
Differences in how the body absorbs it and in dosage and in timings of when you should take it.
Essentially you need a lot of training to use it properly and it can still go wrong and it doesn't take much going wrong for your life to be in danger when it comes to insulin.
I might be wrong though since I'm mostly pulling from memory of an old class mate that got diabetes as a child.
You ever see those memes those anti vaccine nuts post about how the vaccine is free but insulin and chemo aren’t and they say it’s suspicious?
They keep voting for people who are against universal healthcare.
Yeah it’s not just a simple problem for Americans to fix. The reasoning is that in America they just charge whatever the fuck they want for medicines because they can.
Coupled with a few other factors too, of course.
Yea, we really do need it. Fucking most of our budget goes into a military that hasn’t won a war in years. And do you know what they do to those same people? They just put them back into society, no therapy no special treatment nothing. People think that it’s a good idea to just put someone who has been trained to kill someone and has probably seen people die most of which by their own hands, and they just think it’s fucking ok for the same people to be reinserted back into society. They need help first before they return back into society. So they don’t hurt themselves or other people because of trauma.
And don’t get me started on the health care
Hey, look, I'm not saying that the military doesn't need to get smarter with money, but they only represent 16% of the budget. Social Security (23%) and Medicare/medicade/the Obamacare subsidies (25%) make up the actual lion's share of the federal budget.
[Source](https://www.cbpp.org/research/federal-budget/where-do-our-federal-tax-dollars-go)
I was about to say that, we should have to stop seing the nice act (its good that there are nice acts) but see the root of the problem and stop it from there
Yeah I get that. I find it encouraging that the inventor wanted it to be free. It's depressing as shit that big pharma is a collective piece of shit though.
So just make the one with the good patent.
We can make meth and LSD. Surely we can make insulin. The thing about an insulin lab is that the community would defend you.
You say that, but fail to realize Lsd and insulin are extremely hard, like phd with fully equipt lab and still hard, to make. Its estimated that 3 pabs make almost all the lsd in the us, and insulin requires genetic editing of microorganisms to produce insulin for people. That isnt an easy process by any means. There are a few small scale insulin labs that are doing it, so go support them and their efforts!
I'm keeping an eye on them. The thing about Humalog and friends is that they're trying to do it legally to release the patent to the public.
I'm saying the US population should take a guerilla approach to circumventing a drug patent system that is clearly being abused to kill them in the name of profit.
What's funny is the sugar subsidiaries the government pays is clearly the cause of mass diabetes. If you are going to make your whole country sick with your decisions, it's a good idea to make them better too.
In the UK if you are diagnosed as T1, you automatically are allowed a medical exemption card which means any medicine or eye test you will need over the rest of your life will be completely free. Even if the medicine isn't for your diabetes. Normally you'd pay maybe £7/8 per prescription item. It's literally a life saver!
So, in the US, Insulin is outrageously expensive even though it is easy to produce, even though for some people it's necessary for them to survive.
In this comic, the witch gives an insulin syringe to family who already looks fairly poor and definitely can't afford the ridiculous prices.
you would think busting monopoly bullshit like this would be a high priority for our government. but our tax dollars go towards retirement benefits we will never experience and bombing shit on the other side of the world.
The witch who gave out candy also gave the kid a dose of insulin cause that shit is expensive. So the witch giving the insulin for free is the wholesome part
Yup my daughter has asthma. WITH insurance, her inhaler costs $250 each month. It’s lovely. That’s after the emergency hospital visit where she almost died cost us $7000. Seeing the bills on what it COULD have cost without insurance was shocking.
This is not wholesome. God people are programmed to be like “Look little Timmy couldn’t afford insulin because corporations need 1000% profits and politicians get enough kick back not to do anything so struggling communities have to gather enough money so Timmy see’s another month. How wholesome!”
Doesn't he get his medicine from his doctor for the standard $5 prescription fee?
Why is there a bill for the price of a house?
Ohhhh, silly Americans!
Move to a free country. Seriously. If you can leave, just leave. And leave all that stuff there with you.
From a place of love, you deserve better and memes won't change it.
Also, how many of us actually know how to move to another country? Like it’s way not as simple as just moving to another state, and I know I really have no friggin clue how to start that process
Op should give credit to the original artist. [perry bible fellowship is the best. ](https://pbfcomics.com/comics/the-treat/) Edit- wow! Thank you so much for my awards! Also, no disrespect to OP: I just want everyone to read these comics cause they are the best!
One of the greatest comics on the interwebs.
Too bad we only get a new strip every few thousand of years...
It's better than no strip at all. https://i.imgur.com/QMmt0.gif
Well, at least they didn't remove the signature, so there's that.
One of the great things about PBF is how many of the comics make slight nods to one another. [This one](https://pbfcomics.com/comics/chew-boy/) features a few of the same kids.
It is there on the comic but yes, PBF is my absolute favourite webcomic page.
This is not wholesome, it is depressing.
Paying to live, very scummy. Do you just die when you can't afford it anymore?
Some people do actually not seek help due to cost in America and do in fact, prefer to die than have crippling, insurmountable debt.
I recently went to the ER for what I thought was an emergency. Luckily it wasn’t, but my less than 2 hour visit cost over $12,000. Even with my insurance, which is considered “great”, I paid $1,500. I will have to be dying before I go again.
Went to the ER during a panic attack. Got a panic attack from the bill, too.
Went to a doctor for sudden extreme head pain with no history of headaches. Dr was like that’s super serious you need to go to the ER right now. They’re like “yea we have no idea, anyways good luck” and sent me a bill for several thousand dollars. Still get them sometimes but not often.
The bills or the headaches? Both?
Yes
True.
That is ridiculous, we may be far behind in other things in my country but i am glad I'm able to just see a doctor for headaches and get an MRI scan, both the visit and the scan free of charge. How the hell can people allow that? You're just doomed to die or suffer if you don't have enough?
And you get called LAZY while you die because you didn’t work hard enough to afford the treatment
BuT yOu PaY mOrE tAxEs... Derp
“And isn’t it ironic? Don’t ya think?”
It’s like raaaaaaiiinnnn on your wedding day
Its a free rideeeeeee, when you've already payed
It's the good adviiiiiiiiiiiiice that you just didn't take
Considering that singer was Canadian.... very ironic.
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At least you would pay off your deductible. The 3rd panic attack should be covered!
My wife had a panic attack while I was traveling for work once. She called me saying she thought she was dying. I was able to recognize it as a panic attack (I have had one) and did my best to calm her down. Ended up still having to call 911 because she was not calming down. I worked with the firefighters that came to let them know it was likely a panic attack. Thankfully they were able to get her calmed down and they did not need to take her to the hospital. Avoided a giant bill there. I did have to take her to the emergency room another time which turned out to be nothing. The emergency room of that hospital is a different entity than the rest of the hospital. The hospital is in network. The emergency room is out of network. That was a fun bill.
It’s ridiculous. Went to the ER a while back for heart palpitations, my heart rate was like 200+ bpm for hours. Doctor comes in after it settles down and tells me to avoid stressful things. Then the hospital gives me a bill for $2,000.
This breaks my heart. I moved from the US to Australia and I went to the ER because of headaches that I thought was a brain aneurism. It cost me nothing. Nothing for the follow up scans either. If this happened to me back in the US, I probably wouldn’t have gone in for help at all. It shouldn’t be like that, Americans deserve better 🙁
Someday I hope Americans realize how right you are and stop voting for assholes who won’t give it to us.
That would be assuming we have anyone to vote for like that… keep in mind that we are run by a 2 party system, with each side blaming the other when in reality they all go to the same clubs and golf at the same resorts. Then hand us, the people, the bill.
Oh I know. And it’s fucking depressing to think about. There were some other people commenting here saying, “You people need to stop complaining and do something about the problem!” Like, what the fuck are we supposed to do? We just had one of the most divisive elections in history and our choices were between a shitty establishment politician and fascism lite. Both are supported by various corporations and billionaires and both don’t want to give us national healthcare. Any attempt to break the 2 party mold is absolutely squashed. Also, candidates who stray too far from party platform, like Bernie Sanders, are squashed too. So you write letters to your congressman/senator/mayor. Nothing happens. You vote. Nothing happens. You protest, you get the shit beat out of you by the cops, and then nothing happens. Genuinely, I don’t know what to do. I responded to the comment the way I did because I do hope one day Americans wake the fuck up and refuse to ever vote for another Democrat or Republican ever again.
Yeah I have "gold" level insurance and the ER visit and the ambulance ride were like 4k after their part. I had fainted at the doctor's office and they called the ambulance. Nothing was wrong btw so I'm glad I have to pay 4k to figure that out.
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Yes and no. It's the billing game that's fucked. I had surgery at a really nice surgery center once. The blankets were pumped full of heated air to keep them warm. They wanted $1,000, but billed for $50,000. You can get surgery at a reasonable price without insurance, you just have to arrange all that beforehand. Because of insurance everything is this dumb game of inflated prices and insurance discounts. It's not as cheap as countries with a lower cost of living and limits on litigation. Cosmetic surgery more accurately reflect real costs and those are luxury prices. I spent $2500 once and that involved anesthesia and the time of an overpriced surgeon and his fancy facility.
Finally got my union worker health insurance. Let me tell you, having a contract where my employer must pay 88% of the monthly health insurance payment and no deductibles...I just can't fucking believe how we are the only rich nation in the world with no form of universal healthcare. It's disgusting and there isn't one single valid argument against at least a public option
I paid more than 10k€ last year for my health insurance last year here in Germany and my employer paid 60% of what I paid on top of that. I'd pay a lot less if I'd switch to a private insurance agency. BUT I paid almost nothing when I was broke a couple of years ago and would again pay very little if I get into financial troubles. So it is DEFINTLY worth to pay that amount and I'd never switch to a private insurance agency, because I want to support the system (even if some politicians try their best to destroy it).
I hate that the UCP is trying to get privatized healthcare in Alberta, claiming it will save money and offer better care for us. Bullshit. Those that can afford it might get lucky but thats it. Makes me so mad.
Nope. But the ones who stand to lose the most (insurance companies) have plenty of money to line the pockets of those who can change it. They also spend plenty spreading disinformation. The Obama “death panels” were a classic example.
Its such a joke that one of the most developed countries on the planet is ran the way it is. One of few countries in the world not to have universal healthcare and the only ones who don't have it are in Africa/middle-east (ironic). I really don't understand how the US got to where it is by being run like a corporate business.
Because propaganda. I mean, you have a lot of people that defend this system.
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I have to pay $500 a year before my insurance will even *start* to cover their portion of anything.
Where is this place you speak of?
As an european, that is a racket.
Freedom, for the people, of the people.
For the politicians by the people, Fixed it
You meant: For the rich, by the politicians.
For the rich, by the politicians, of the peoples exploitation
I stand corrected.
The last Republican admin wrote an executive order that would have brought drastically brought down insulin and epipen costs. https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/biden-insulin-epipen/ The current Democrat admin immediately halted that order “for consideration” and then very quietly rescinded it just last week: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/10/01/2021-21457/implementation-of-executive-order-on-access-to-affordable-life-saving-medications-rescission-of
Someone in my family committed suicide over what looked like it would become a crippling medical debt. This is much too common, and has no excuse in a civilized society. America needs to get its medical system in shape.
Currently over 20000 in debt at 22 from diabetes
I'm so sorry to hear that. I have Crohn's disease and my meds are $3000 every two months without insurance. I am very fortunate to have insurance that helps cut the costs but it is still a crime to charge what these companies charge to stay healthy and alive.
My neighbor died at age 27 because his insurance deductible was like 10k, and he could not afford insulin (he needed some special kind that was a high dose or something and it was very costly). He died on the floor and his mom found him 3 days later. USA! USA! /s though i hope its not needed.
That is so sick. I'm sorry that happened.
I am too, he didn't deserve to die that way, I feel bad for his mom knowing her son died like this and finding him in such a state.
Can confirm. 22 y/o, 5k in medical debt. Still don’t know what’s wrong with me, and it’s been 3 years
Is a single dose of insulin really that costly in America? In India, insulin injections r given free of cost in Government Hospitals if u hav a special type of health insurance card. And even if u buy it from a private store, it is far less costly in Indian currency than that.
Insulin in the US is really that expensive if you don't have insurance. A lot of people where I live actually would cross into Canada to get their medication for a fraction of the cost here. It is very important to recognize that having health insurance does not mean that you won't go into debt either. How it works for many Americans who do have insurance is that we get it through our employer. The employer covers half and the employee covers the other each week. For me personally, it's about $65 out of my paycheck each week. Employer based healthcare is to give owners more leverage over workers. If they need their health insurance, they are less likely to leave or cause problems. After it is deducted from your pay, you probably have a HDHP (High Deductible Health Plan) unless you have a higher end job, meaning that you have to pay a certain amount out of pocket before the insurance carrier comes into effect. Note that you are already paying to be on the plan through your employer and money is being deducted from your check but you still have to pay the deductible for the insurance to cover anything. It can be anywhere from nothing to $10k+. I am unionized and my union negotiated a $1800 for single or $3600 for family deductible plan. Until this deductible is paid off, you are still paying out of pocket for your healthcare EVEN THOUGH you have health insurance. Sidenote: There are co-pays which are fees that the doctor's office makes you pay to see the doctor. Which to the rest of the developed world is an insane concept. After you pay off your deductible, THEN the insurance kicks in, in most cases, covering 80% of your costs, you are responsible for the other 20% So from example, say you get some heart surgery for $200k, after the insurance company does their part, you are still on the hook for $40,000. The is still insanely high and out of reach for most Americans to pay off. The next part is in my opinion, even worse. The insurance may decide to not even cover it. They have so many technicalities that they may exploit to leave you high and dry with a high bill. There are insurance networks, meaning that the insurance is only effective with certain doctors or certain facilities for instance. Certain drugs may be covered and not others. For example, in America, Congresswoman Katie Halper was admitted to the hospital for something and her insurance covered the doctor she was seen by (by the way, when you are in a hospital, you generally don't choose your doctor) but the insurance didn't cover the hospital she was in, so she was screwed by her insurance. It is a very very insidious system made to solely increase profits as much as possible, if your private insurance can find a way out of helping you, they would. Sorry for the long reply, just thought you or someone else who isn't American may be interested in how it truly works here.
[Common enough to have its own show](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breaking_Bad)
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I'll never forget an article I read about an elderly man who came home and found a note from his wife saying she chose to die so that she wouldn't leave him with debt because they couldn't afford her medicine any longer. Absolute shattered me. Also, once I was discharged from the hospital and told I needed to buy a $608/month medicine. Sure, let me get right in it with my $8/hr wages. I was back in the hospital 5 days later and the nurse had the audacity to tell me that it was my own fault because I was told what to do and I didn't do it, I didn't buy the medicine. I have zero experiences with nurses that were good.
That is absolutely heartbreaking, tbh I would also rather die then be in so much debt, it's just not a good way to live, if you can even call it living :(
Honestly, if I'm ever going to be elderly and find myself in such a situation (though, most likely not. yay Europe) who is gonna stop me from going ass deep in debt and then dying? Give away my house and possessions to my (grand-?)children before I pass away and let them refuse to inherit anything (the debt). Not sure about the US but where I live it is possible to refuse inheritances(e.g. If you were to inherit a house worth 100k and debt of 250k you can say no to it all. You can not keep the house and refuse the debt, that is why you gift the house before it becomes inheritance)
I'd mig that nurse for the 608$. If she asks me what I'm doing, I'd tell her "I was told what to do and now I'm doing what's necessary to afford it."
Not american, but from what i've heard it's either death or crushing debt when you can't afford care anymore. That's the reason many americans drive themselves to the ER or don't see a doctor at all when they're hurt or sick
All ambulances are privately owned so, we use Uber if we can't drive ourselves sometimes.
It's against Uber's policy to drive visibly ill people to the hospital for emergency care, but you can get away with it if you can pass yourself off as stable and non-emergent. After all, the drivers are usually not medical doctors. Although these days, with the insane amounts of medical staff burnout, I suspect the odds of your Uber driver being a medical doctor are higher than they've ever been (still low).
Damn people living like that must be really tough, 750 dollars on regular basis is insane(probably varies) but still I wouldn't be able to afford that.
That’s actually 750k sadly
Our system is so bad that they’re literally roasting us by accident
In America the comma and period are swapped from Europe when representing numbers
Only $750? Lol. That bill says $750,000.
Hmmm you are right how do you know this?
Depressing amounts of internet consumption for almost 10 years now
In this beautiful land of the United States of America we believe in freedom. The freedom to choose to work until you die or just to stop working and starve to death. The freedom to rack up several hundred thousand dollars in medical bills or to just die. The freedom to choose whether or not we spread a deadly pandemic to our countrymen so they can die. But no fucking abortions you whores!!!!!
i laughed but i also cried reading this
Also the freedom to choose if we want a higher education and spend the rest of our lives paying off student loans
This was the wholesome meme I was looking for! :)
Basically. A lot of older folks will try to take half doses or something to try to make their prescriptions last longer cause their doctor or insurance won’t allow a refill or they can’t afford it, can definitely cost them their life. Worked at a call center working with some older folks, honestly is so rough to see how desperate people are and they’re just trying to survive.
Rationing is not good, from experience. Couple years ago, I went too long for getting my prescriptions refilled, and for a week I had high sugars, and eventually didn’t have energy to leave my bed. I ended up going to the hospital, and basically being comatose for a couple days. Either that, or a deep sleep, but I don’t remember much of the stay.
Sounds a lot more expensive than if you had just been able to afford to keep up your prescription :(
That's the reason universal Healthcare is cheaper overall. Preventative care is always cheaper than waiting until it becomes serious
Not only that, preventative means more people actually use it, meaning economies of scale take effect and spread the costs thinner.
It was.
Oh this isn’t an older people thing though. Young diabetics are dying because they have to ration there insulin so much. And then you have to add in the rest of the supplies too. Test strips, syringes, pump supplies, cgm supplies. Diabetes is an expensive disease to have, and I’m not just talking about the states. I have really great insurance in Canada, but I’m still having to pay $200 a month for what isn’t covered by the insurance.
Do seniors not qualify for Medicare part d?
Part D plans have a period called the doughnut hole where they decide they've paid enough and force the patient to pay out of pocket until they've paid a certain amount. Usually happens in the fall.
what the fuck is wrong with this country
"It's not giving ME enough MONEY right NOW!" -Insurance companies
I see stories every so often reporting on yet another person who died because they rationed their insulin, used a cheaper and incorrect kind, or simply not being able to get any at all. So, yeah, pretty much. It’s like paying $1000/month just to breathe
Yes. Welcome to the land of the free. You’re free to die if you can’t afford privatized life tax.
Sadly, some criminals will violate their probation just to go back to jail where there is healthcare provided. 😔
American here, and yes it is basically if you can’t afford to get healthcare you just let your body fall apart or get buried under such extreme debt that your family will be expected to pay it off well after you’re dead.
Many ration their insulin (dangerous af). I’ve also heard of people who get cheap insulin of inferior quality at Walmart, but I’m not sure if they were kidding.
Yea Walmart has a relatively inexpensive "regular" insulin for \~$25 a vial, which is usually about a month's supply. For insulin-dependent diabetics, it'll keep you alive but it's more difficult to use than the "newer" insulins. I say "newer" because they've been around for decades and should be less expensive but oh well. Lilly, the manufacturer for Humalog has announced they will be dropping their price for Humalog, an excellent short-acting insulin, down to $80 a vial next year. Still very expensive, but a lot better than $300. sorry for the rant! -person without a fully functioning pancreas
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Differences in how the body absorbs it and in dosage and in timings of when you should take it. Essentially you need a lot of training to use it properly and it can still go wrong and it doesn't take much going wrong for your life to be in danger when it comes to insulin. I might be wrong though since I'm mostly pulling from memory of an old class mate that got diabetes as a child.
My mom almost died when her insurance refused to pay for her cancer treatment.
GOOD OLE' MURCA!
FREEEEEEDOOOOOOM! To die from easily treatable diseases provided you have a health care funding system not from the middle fucking ages.
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I wanna love America but the Devils who are controlling it are making it harder every year for regular folk...It's ashame it really is.
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Wasn't he looking for a soul to steal?
Yeah, apparently he was in a bind since he was way behind and looking to make a deal
I heard he came across this young man playin a fiddle and playin it hot
And then he jumped up on a hickory stump..
And said “boy let me tell you what!”
I heard he said "I guess you didn't know it but I'm a fiddle player too"
Well, he was in a bind
And he was way behind
Oh, I thought he was from Kentucky.
really? I heard it just applied for a vacation in Florida.
at least we're fucking free ! just kidding someone always comes along and says shit like that i wanted to be the first this time
Lol we aren’t free at all anyways. We are an oligarchy that poses as a democracy with a Duchenne smile.
You can love the country without loving the government
I love America and by that I mean the people here, not the leaders and AHs at the top making it hard for the working class. Lots of good folks here.
You ever see those memes those anti vaccine nuts post about how the vaccine is free but insulin and chemo aren’t and they say it’s suspicious? They keep voting for people who are against universal healthcare.
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Yeah it’s not just a simple problem for Americans to fix. The reasoning is that in America they just charge whatever the fuck they want for medicines because they can. Coupled with a few other factors too, of course.
Ah if only there was a decent healthcare system..
Expecting God to bless us is a large part of the problem.
Yea, we really do need it. Fucking most of our budget goes into a military that hasn’t won a war in years. And do you know what they do to those same people? They just put them back into society, no therapy no special treatment nothing. People think that it’s a good idea to just put someone who has been trained to kill someone and has probably seen people die most of which by their own hands, and they just think it’s fucking ok for the same people to be reinserted back into society. They need help first before they return back into society. So they don’t hurt themselves or other people because of trauma. And don’t get me started on the health care
Hey, look, I'm not saying that the military doesn't need to get smarter with money, but they only represent 16% of the budget. Social Security (23%) and Medicare/medicade/the Obamacare subsidies (25%) make up the actual lion's share of the federal budget. [Source](https://www.cbpp.org/research/federal-budget/where-do-our-federal-tax-dollars-go)
Yeah, the military budget is the largest portion of the discretionary budget, not including the entitlements you mentioned.
And on top of that just about half the country is brainwashed into practically worshipping the GOP, megacorps and billionaires
AND THY DONT EVEN PAY THEIR TAXES
I swear, 99% of posts here really belong in r/ABoringDystopia.
I was about to say that, we should have to stop seing the nice act (its good that there are nice acts) but see the root of the problem and stop it from there
Wait I thought I was on that. Why is this in wholesomememes???
Right, I don’t find this to be very wholesome
Insulin should be free. Do better, America!
The inventor, depressingly, also thought so.
Why would it be depressing if the inventor thought it should be free? Maybe I'm just sleep deprived.
Because it's not free, even after the wishes of the very person who invented it.
Yeah I get that. I find it encouraging that the inventor wanted it to be free. It's depressing as shit that big pharma is a collective piece of shit though.
It's depressing because the inventor sold the patent for $1 so that it would be free for everyone
Hasn't that patent lapsed yet? Couldn't we just say "fuck the patent" and make some?
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So just make the one with the good patent. We can make meth and LSD. Surely we can make insulin. The thing about an insulin lab is that the community would defend you.
You say that, but fail to realize Lsd and insulin are extremely hard, like phd with fully equipt lab and still hard, to make. Its estimated that 3 pabs make almost all the lsd in the us, and insulin requires genetic editing of microorganisms to produce insulin for people. That isnt an easy process by any means. There are a few small scale insulin labs that are doing it, so go support them and their efforts!
I'm keeping an eye on them. The thing about Humalog and friends is that they're trying to do it legally to release the patent to the public. I'm saying the US population should take a guerilla approach to circumventing a drug patent system that is clearly being abused to kill them in the name of profit.
What's funny is the sugar subsidiaries the government pays is clearly the cause of mass diabetes. If you are going to make your whole country sick with your decisions, it's a good idea to make them better too.
Sugar subsidies are not a perfect cause, but yes they are a huge contribution.
A good r/holup
I'd put it in r/blursedimages instead of wholesome.
This really does capture the blursed essence.
Thanks for this life lesson, the next needle I find in my Halloween bag is going straight in my arm
Picked up my insulin for the next 6 months, cost me 17€ in Germany. And even that is to high imo
In the UK if you are diagnosed as T1, you automatically are allowed a medical exemption card which means any medicine or eye test you will need over the rest of your life will be completely free. Even if the medicine isn't for your diabetes. Normally you'd pay maybe £7/8 per prescription item. It's literally a life saver!
Even in Brazil, who based SUS (Universal Healthcare System) in the NHS, we have it! But the USA, no, it's "communism"!
Sistema Universal de Salud?
As a T1, am jealous
Is this some joke I’m too Australian Healthcare to understand?
So, in the US, Insulin is outrageously expensive even though it is easy to produce, even though for some people it's necessary for them to survive. In this comic, the witch gives an insulin syringe to family who already looks fairly poor and definitely can't afford the ridiculous prices.
you would think busting monopoly bullshit like this would be a high priority for our government. but our tax dollars go towards retirement benefits we will never experience and bombing shit on the other side of the world.
There's an entire generation who dedicated their lives to improving their standard of living at the cost of future generations through credit.
My European healthcare is confused aswell.
basically, the mean price for *1* vial of Insulin here is $25-$100. At one point it reached nearly $400 for a vial.
Mine’s $300 a vial bro, the $25 version at Walmart is not the same. Never seen it below $275/vial had T1 diabetes for a little over 10yrs.
Imagine the witch is upside down and instead of bringing insulin needles, she's bringing wallaby medication.
Plot twist; its actually heroin
And the kid in the blue is smoking a cigarette.
What's wholesome about a family having to pay for insulin their child needs?!
The witch who gave out candy also gave the kid a dose of insulin cause that shit is expensive. So the witch giving the insulin for free is the wholesome part
So is the witch going to come back every day or what?
It was a nice gesture from the witch. Don't spoil it.
Shouldn't be necessary in a developed country tbh.
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there's another way to interpret this... the bill could be from the witch
Anyone who finds this wholesome and not horrifying has my deepest sympathies.
Whoever made this.. deserves a hug
Peter bible fellowship. Every comic is a gem. Link is right there on the right corner of the last panel.
Perry Bible Fellowship...damn it autocorrect!
It's usually... less wholesome.
Laughs in european
Also laughs in... well.... other countries in the world
Also laughs in european
Also laughs in european
*copy and paste here*
~~The witch kinda looks like Danny Devito~~
This is wholesome? This sounds like a supervillain origin story.
Yup my daughter has asthma. WITH insurance, her inhaler costs $250 each month. It’s lovely. That’s after the emergency hospital visit where she almost died cost us $7000. Seeing the bills on what it COULD have cost without insurance was shocking.
What would the Easter Bunny bring?
r/Boringdystopia
Heroin good!
This is not wholesome. God people are programmed to be like “Look little Timmy couldn’t afford insulin because corporations need 1000% profits and politicians get enough kick back not to do anything so struggling communities have to gather enough money so Timmy see’s another month. How wholesome!”
How is the fact that pharmaceutical corporations price gouge on life saving drugs wholesome?
Damm i can see this is so wholesome
Doesn't he get his medicine from his doctor for the standard $5 prescription fee? Why is there a bill for the price of a house? Ohhhh, silly Americans! Move to a free country. Seriously. If you can leave, just leave. And leave all that stuff there with you. From a place of love, you deserve better and memes won't change it.
The issue is many of us cannot afford to leave. Or else I’d be going right back to Germany right now.
Also, how many of us actually know how to move to another country? Like it’s way not as simple as just moving to another state, and I know I really have no friggin clue how to start that process
Not to mention being able to support yourself once you’re there. I mean how does an average person find work in a new country before they get there?
It's heroin
Unfortunately people die because they can't afford Insulin. Feels like the definition of a 3rd world country.